The Minnesota Norf Stars began pway in 1967 as part of de NHL's six-team expansion. Home games were pwayed at de newwy constructed Metropowitan Sports Center ("Met Center") in Bwoomington, Minnesota. Initiawwy successfuw bof on de ice and at de gate, de Norf Stars feww victim to financiaw probwems after severaw poor seasons in de mid-1970s.

The wogo of de Minnesota Norf Stars from 1991 to 1993. The franchise was moved to Dawwas in 1993, maintaining de Stars identity as opposed to rebranding.

In 1978, de Norf Stars were purchased by de owners of de Cwevewand Barons (formerwy de Cawifornia Gowden Seaws), de Gund broders, George III and Gordon. Wif bof teams on de verge of fowding, de NHL permitted de two faiwing franchises to merge. The merged team continued as de Minnesota Norf Stars, but assumed de Barons' pwace in de Adams Division in order to bawance out de divisions, whiwe de Seaws/Barons franchise records were retired. The merger brought wif it a number of tawented pwayers, and de Norf Stars were revived—dey reached de Stanwey Cup Finaws in 1981, where dey wost in five games to de New York Iswanders. However, by de earwy 1990s, decwining attendance and de inabiwity to secure a new downtown revenue-generating arena wed ownership to reqwest permission to move de team to de San Francisco Bay Area in 1990. The NHL rejected de reqwest and instead agreed to award an expansion franchise, de San Jose Sharks, to de Gund broders. The Norf Stars were sowd to a group of investors dat were originawwy wooking to pwace a team in San Jose, awdough one of de group's members, Norman Green, wouwd eventuawwy gain controw of de team.[3] In de fowwowing season, de Minnesota Norf Stars made it to de Stanwey Cup Finaws, onwy to wose to de Pittsburgh Penguins.

After de 1991 season, de Norf Stars suffered drough poor attendance and profitabiwity. The team's fortunes were furder impeded by de terms of de settwement wif de Gund broders, in which dey were permitted to take a number of Norf Stars pwayers to San Jose. New owner Norman Green expwored de possibiwity of moving de team to Anaheim, however de NHL decided instead to pwace de expansion Mighty Ducks dere in 1992. In deir finaw two seasons in Minnesota, de team adopted a new wogo which omitted de "Norf" from "Norf Stars", weading many fans to anticipate de team heading souf.[4]

Reunion Arena was de first home for de Stars in Dawwas. The arena was de Star's home from 1993 to 2001.

In 1993, amid furder attendance woes and bitter personaw controversy, Green obtained permission from de weague to move de team to Dawwas for de 1993-94 season, and de decision was announced on March 10, 1993.[5] Green was convinced by former Dawwas Cowboys qwarterback Roger Staubach dat Dawwas wouwd be a suitabwe market for an NHL team.[4] The NHL, to qweww de controversy, promised de fans of Minnesota a return in de future wif a new franchise; dat promise was fuwfiwwed in 2000 when Minnesota was awarded de Minnesota Wiwd as an expansion franchise. The Stars wouwd move into Reunion Arena, buiwt in 1980, de downtown arena awready occupied by de Dawwas Mavericks.

Wif de NHL changing de names of de conferences and divisions, de newwy rewocated Stars were pwaced in de Centraw Division of de Western Conference, and pwayed deir first game in Dawwas on October 5, 1993, a 6–4 win against de Detroit Red Wings.[6] In dat game, Neaw Broten scored de first Stars goaw in Dawwas. Dawwas was an experiment for de NHL. At dat time, de Stars wouwd be one of de dree soudern-most teams in de NHL, awong wif de newwy-created Tampa Bay Lightning and Fworida Panders as de NHL's first reaw ventures into soudern non-traditionaw hockey markets. Though de Stars were rewativewy stiww unknown in de area, word of de team spread rapidwy, and de immediate success of de team on de ice, as weww as Mike Modano's career best season (50 goaws, 93 points) hewped spur de team's popuwarity in Dawwas. The Stars set franchise bests in wins (42) and points (97) in deir first season in Texas, qwawifying for de 1994 pwayoffs. The Stars furder shocked de hockey worwd by sweeping de St. Louis Bwues in de first round, but wost to de eventuaw Western Conference Champion Vancouver Canucks in de second round. The Stars' success in deir first season, awong wif American superstar Mike Modano's spectacuwar on ice performances wouwd be an integraw part of de Stars' eventuaw franchise success in de immediate years to come. The awmost immediate success of de Stars was awso hewped by a wong history of second-tier hockey in de area. The minor weague Centraw Hockey League had two teams in de area, de Fort Worf Texans and de Dawwas Bwackhawks for awmost 40 years before de Stars arrivaw. These two teams were bitter rivaws, and some of de traditions and famous rivawry incidents, incwuding what is dought to be de first known use anywhere at an adwetic event of "Rock and Roww Part 2" by Fort Worf and de famous "10 Cent Beer Night" near riot in 1978 hewped create awareness of hockey. Amateur and youf hockey was awso extremewy popuwar because of de wong presence of de minor weague teams.

Green, who had run into financiaw probwems stemming from his business ventures outside of hockey, was forced to seww de team to businessman Tom Hicks in December 1995.[4]

The 1994–95 season was shortened by an owners' wockout. The Stars traded captain Mark Tinordi awong wif Rick Mrozik to de Washington Capitaws before de season began for Kevin Hatcher. Long time Norf Stars howd-over Neaw Broten was named his repwacement, awdough he was traded too after onwy 17 games to de New Jersey Deviws. Broten was repwaced by Kevin's younger broder Derian Hatcher as team captain, a rowe he wouwd serve in for de next decade. The Stars pwayed onwy 48 games dat season posting a record of 17–23–8. Despite de shortened season and de wosing record, de Stars again made de pwayoffs, wosing in five games to de Red Wings in de first round.[7]

The Stars made severaw moves to revamp de roster in de 1996 off-season, notabwy making a trade to acqwire Sergei Zubov. He remained on de team untiw he weft de NHL in 2009.

In de 1996 off-season, de Stars continued to revamp deir roster, adding defensemen Darryw Sydor from de Los Angewes Kings fowwowed by Sergei Zubov from de Pittsburgh Penguins for Kevin Hatcher. Zubov wouwd serve as de Stars' top defenseman and powerpway qwarterback untiw weaving de NHL in 2009. On de ice, Ken Hitchcock's first season proved to be a good one. The Stars bested deir 1994 totaws, posting 48 wins and reaching de 100-point mark for de first time in franchise history. The Stars won de Centraw Division, deir first division titwe since 1983–84 (when dey were stiww de Minnesota Norf Stars) and were seeded second in de pwayoffs.[9] Despite de reguwar season success, de youdfuw Stars were upset in de first round by de Edmonton Oiwers in seven games. Defenseman Grant Ledyard tripped in overtime of Game 7, awwowing Todd Marchant to score de game- and series-winning goaw on a breakaway against goawtender Andy Moog.

In de 1997 off-season, de Stars signed star goawtender Ed Bewfour as a free agent after a weww pubwicized fawwing-out wif de San Jose Sharks, who had traded a number of pwayers to de Chicago Bwackhawks to obtain him in January in de previous season, uh-hah-hah-hah.[10] Andy Moog was awwowed to weave via free agency, but water returned to de Stars as an assistant coach. The 1997–98 season was anoder banner year for de Stars. The Stars again set franchise records in wins (49) and points (109). Dawwas acqwired Mike Keane at de deadwine from de New York Rangers. The Stars won de franchise's first Presidents' Trophy as de NHL's best reguwar season team, as weww as de Centraw Division titwe for de second season in a row. Bewfour set franchise season records for goaws against average (1.88), wins (37) and just missed out on de Jennings Trophy by one goaw to Martin Brodeur of de New Jersey Deviws. The Stars were de first overaww seed for de 1998 Stanwey Cup pwayoffs and defeated de eighf-seeded San Jose Sharks in six games in de first round. Notorious enforcer Bryan Marchment injured Joe Nieuwendyk's right knee, forcing him to miss de rest of de pwayoffs wif torn wigaments. In de second round, dey again met de Edmonton Oiwers, dis time defeating dem in five games. Widout Nieuwendyk, however, de Stars wacked de firepower to overcome de defending Stanwey Cup champion Detroit Red Wings in de Western Conference Finaws, and wost in six games. The Red Wings went on to win deir second consecutive Stanwey Cup.

In de 1998 off-season, after fawwing just short in de Western Conference Finaws, de Stars added what dey bewieved was de finaw piece toward winning a championship: star goawscoring winger Brett Huww. Huww had awready had a magnificent career wif de St. Louis Bwues, wif dree consecutive 70-goaw seasons and a Hart Memoriaw Trophy, but a fawwout wif Bwues management wed Huww to weave St. Louis via free agency.[11] Additionawwy, dis was de first season for de Stars in de Pacific Division after de 1998 NHL division re-awignment.

The Stars 1998–99 season was excewwent. The Stars won 51 games, surpassing de 50-win mark for de first time in franchise history. They awso recorded 114 points, which stiww stands today as a franchise record. They won de Pacific Division by 24 points, deir dird consecutive division titwe; a second consecutive Presidents' Trophy; de Jennings Trophy as de weague's top defensive team; and were awarded de top seed in de 1999 Stanwey Cup pwayoffs. Winger Jere Lehtinen was awso awarded de Frank J. Sewke Trophy.[12]

In de first round of de pwayoffs, Dawwas faced deir pwayoff arch-rivaws, de Edmonton Oiwers. The Stars swept de Oiwers in four tough games, winning Game 4 in de dird overtime on a goaw by Joe Nieuwendyk. They den faced de St. Louis Bwues in de second round. After taking a 2–0 series wead, de Bwues stormed back to tie de series. The Stars den won de next two games to beat de Bwues in six games. The series again ended on an overtime goaw, dis time from Mike Modano. In de Conference Finaws, dey faced de Coworado Avawanche for de first time in Stars history. This wouwd be de first of four pwayoff meetings between de Stars and Avawanche in de next seven years. After bof de Stars and de Avawanche spwit de first four games at a 2–2 series tie, de Avawanche won Game 5 by a score of 7–5, taking a 3–2 series wead, The Stars rawwied winning game six on de road, and game seven at home, bof by 4–1 scores.[13]

This was de Stars' first Stanwey Cup Finaws appearance as de Dawwas Stars, awdough dey made de finaws twice as de Minnesota Norf Stars. They faced de Eastern Conference champion Buffawo Sabres, who had defeated de Toronto Mapwe Leafs 4–1 in de Eastern Conference Finaws. After spwitting de first four games, de Stars vaunted defense wouwd howd de Sabres to onwy one goaw in de next two, winning Game 5 2–0 and Game 6 2–1 on an overtime goaw by Brett Huww. Huww's goaw at 14:51 of de dird overtime was remembered as one of de most controversiaw goaws ever scored. That season, de NHL stiww had de infamous "crease ruwe" in effect, which stated dat if any pwayer of de attacking team who did not have possession of de puck was in de crease before de puck, den any resuwting goaw was disawwowed. Huww had initiawwy gained possession of de puck outside de crease and had made a shot dat was bwocked by Buffawo goawtender Dominik Hasek. One of Huww's skates entered de crease as he corrawwed de rebound, and Huww's second shot scored de Cup-winning goaw, fowwowed by a wengdy officiaw review. The goaw was eventuawwy awwowed, as having simpwy bwocked Huww's shot rader dan catching it, Hasek never took possession of de puck away from Huww. Officiaws derefore determined dat rader dan cawwing it a woose puck, Huww wouwd be considered to have had continuous possession of de puck from before his first shot outside de crease. The compwexity of de crease ruwe, and de attendant difficuwties in understanding its appwication by fans and pwayers awike, combined wif de controversy arising out of de disputed Cup-winning goaw, resuwted in de crease ruwe being repeawed de fowwowing season, uh-hah-hah-hah. Huww's goaw marked de 13f time a Stanwey Cup-winning goaw was scored in overtime, and onwy de fourf to be scored in muwtipwe overtimes. This was de onwy time between 1995 and 2003 dat a team oder dan de New Jersey Deviws, Coworado Avawanche or Detroit Red Wings won de Stanwey Cup.

The team added veterans Kirk Muwwer, Dave Manson and Sywvain Cote in an effort to defend deir Stanwey Cup championship in 1999–2000. On December 31, 1999, Brett Huww scored his 600 and 601st career goaws in a 5–4 win over de Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. The Stars uwtimatewy won de Pacific Division for de second year in a row, and were seeded second in de Western Conference. Dawwas den defeated de Edmonton Oiwers and San Jose Sharks in de first and second rounds, bof 4–1 series victories. The Stars, for de second season in a row, defeated de Coworado Avawanche in de Western Conference Finaws in seven games to reach deir second consecutive Stanwey Cup Finaws, where dey met de New Jersey Deviws. Because de Deviws finished de reguwar season wif one more point dan Dawwas, de Stars had to pway deir first pwayoff series widout home ice advantage since 1995.[14] The Stars wost aww dree games in Reunion Arena in de Finaws, and wost de series in Game 6 on a doubwe-overtime goaw by New Jersey forward Jason Arnott.

Hoping to win back de Stanwey Cup, de Stars again captured de Pacific Division, posting a sowid 48–24–8–2 record in de 2000–01 season. In de pwayoffs, de Stars met de Edmonton Oiwers in de first round, battwing back-and-forf drough de first four games, wif each game decided by one goaw, incwuding dree going into overtime. Game 5 wouwd awso go to overtime, as de Stars took a 3–2 series wead on a goaw by Kirk Muwwer. In Game 6 in Edmonton, however, de Stars did not need overtime, advancing to de second round wif a 3–1 win, uh-hah-hah-hah. Facing de St. Louis Bwues, de Stars wouwd run out of gas, being swept in four straight games. The Game 2 woss wouwd be de wast NHL game pwayed in Reunion Arena.

Marty Turco was awarded de starting goawtender position in de 2001–02 season, wif de departure of Ed Bewfour to free agency.

Moving into de brand new American Airwines Center for de 2001–02 season, de Stars got off to a swow start to de season, as goawtender Ed Bewfour struggwed drough one of his worst seasons. Coach Ken Hitchcock was eventuawwy fired, being repwaced by Rick Wiwson. Despite de coaching change, de Stars continued to pway poor hockey. Wif de prospect of missing de pwayoffs, de Stars traded 1999 Conn Smyde winner Joe Nieuwendyk and Jamie Langenbrunner to de New Jersey Deviws in exchange for Randy McKay and Jason Arnott, who scored de game-winning goaw in de 2000 Finaws against Dawwas. The Stars wouwd eventuawwy go on to post a respectabwe record of 35–28–13–5. However, it wouwd not be enough for de pwayoffs, as dey feww four points short of de finaw eighf spot in de Western Conference. Fowwowing de season, coach Rick Wiwson wouwd return to assistant coaching duties, as de Stars brought in Dave Tippett as his repwacement.

As in de 2002 off-season, Ed Bewfour weft via free agency to de Toronto Mapwe Leafs. To begin de 2002–03 campaign, de Stars awarded de starting goawtending position to Marty Turco, who went on to have one of de best seasons in NHL history, posting de wowest goaws against average (GAA) since 1940, at 1.76. However, missing 18 games wate in de season wikewy cost him a shot at de Vezina Trophy, awarded to de weague's top goawtender. Regardwess, de Stars posted de best record in de Western Conference at 46–17–15–4, and awong de way, two-way star Jere Lehtinen won his dird Frank J. Sewke Trophy. In de pwayoffs, de Stars once again met de Edmonton Oiwers, and once again de Oiwers wouwd prove a contentious opponent, winning two of de first dree games. However, de Stars wouwd prove de better team again by winning de next dree games to take de series in six games. The Stars' second round series against de Mighty Ducks of Anaheim got off to an unbewievabwe start, as de game went deep into overtime tied 3–3. However, Mighty Ducks goawtender Jean-Sebastien Giguere stopped 60 shots as de Ducks scored earwy in de fiff overtime. Game 2 wouwd be more of de same, as de Ducks stunned de Stars in overtime. Desperatewy needing a win, de Stars bounced back to take Game 3 in Anaheim. However, de Ducks wouwd take a 3–1 series wead by breaking a scorewess tie wate in de dird period of Game 4. In Game 5, de Stars finawwy sowved Giguere by scoring four goaws to keep deir pwayoff hopes awive. However, de Stars dreams of a return trip to de Stanwey Cup Finaws wouwd end in heartbreaking fashionm as de Ducks broke a 3–3 tie wif 1:06 weft in Game 6 on a goaw by defenseman Sandis Ozowinsh.

Coming off deir disappointing pwayoff woss, de Stars wouwd get off to a shaky start to de 2003–04 season, as dey pwayed mediocre hockey drough de first dree monds of de season, posting a sub-.500 record. As de cawendar turned to 2004, however, de Stars began to find deir game, as dey posted a 9–4–3 record in January. As de season wore on, de Stars wouwd get stronger, cwimbing up de pwayoff wadder and eventuawwy reaching second pwace in de Pacific Division, where dey finished wif a sowid 41–26–13–2 record; Marty Turco had anoder outstanding season, recording a 1.98 GAA. However, de Stars couwd not carry deir momentum into de pwayoffs, as dey were beaten by de Coworado Avawanche in five games in de first round.

Coming out of de owners' wockout dat cancewwed de entire 2004–05 season, de Stars remained one of de strongest teams in de Western Conference for de start of 2005–06, as dey won four of deir first five games on de way to a sowid October. November wouwd be even better for Dawwas, as dey won 10 of 13 games and took over first pwace in de Pacific Division, a position dey wouwd howd most of de season, as dey went on to finish wif a terrific record of 53–23–6. One reason for de Stars success was deir strong pway in shootouts, as forward Jussi Jokinen was nearwy automatic, making 10-of-13 shot attempts. Awso performing strong in shootouts was Sergei Zubov, who used a swow-but-steady backhand to go 7-for-12, as de Stars uwtimatewy won 12 of 13 games dat were settwed by a shootout. As de number two seed in de Western Conference, de Stars faced de sevenf-seeded Coworado Avawanche. The Stars were favorited to win de Western Conference, and some even predicted dem to win de Stanwey Cup. However, de Stars wouwd stumbwe right from de start, wosing Game 1 by a score of 5–2 as de Avawanche scored five unanswered goaws after de Stars jumped out to a promising 2–0 wead. Game 2 wouwd see de Stars suffer anoder setback at home, as de Stars wost in overtime 5–4 on a goaw by Joe Sakic. On de road in Game 3, de Stars wed 3–2 in de finaw minute before de Avawanche forced overtime on a goaw by Andrew Brunette, whiwe Awex Tanguay won de game just 69 seconds into overtime to put de Stars in a 3–0 howe. The Stars wouwd avoid de sweep wif 4–1 win in Game 4, but overtime wouwd doom dem again in Game 5, as Andrew Brunette scored de series winner at 6:05, ending de Stars' pwayoffs hopes after just five games.

Mike Modano scoring his 500f goaw on November 7, 2007 against de San Jose Sharks. He was de second American-born pwayer to reach de miwestone.

On September 29, 2006, Brenden Morrow was announced as new team captain, taking de rowe over from Mike Modano, who had served as de incumbent since 2003.[15]Jere Lehtinen remained de wast Minnesota Norf Star stiww wif de franchise, awdough he never wore a Minnesota Norf Stars jersey; he was drafted by de cwub whiwe it was stiww in Minnesota. On March 13, 2007, Mike Modano scored his 500f career NHL goaw, making him onwy de 39f pwayer and second American to ever reach de miwestone. On March 17, Modano scored his 502nd and 503rd NHL goaws, breaking de record for an American-born pwayer, previouswy hewd by Joe Muwwen.

On January 24, 2007, de 55f Nationaw Hockey League Aww-Star Game was hewd at de American Airwines Center. Defenseman Phiwippe Boucher and goawtender Marty Turco wouwd represent de Stars as part of de Western Conference Aww-Star roster. The Stars qwawified for de pwayoffs as de sixf seed in de Western Conference and sqwared off against de Vancouver Canucks in de first round. Marty Turco dewivered dree shutout wins in Games 2, 5 and 6, but de Stars' offense faiwed to capitawize and dey wost de series in seven games, de dird season in a row dat dey wost in de first round.

On February 26, 2008, just hours before de trade deadwine, de Stars traded for Aww-Star center Brad Richards from de Tampa Bay Lightning for backup netminder Mike Smif and forwards Jussi Jokinen and Jeff Hawpern.[18] The Stars rawwied to a finaw record of 45–30–7 and qwawified for de pwayoffs as de fiff seed, matching up wif de defending Stanwey Cup champion, de Anaheim Ducks, in de first round.[19] After a rough end to de season, onwy winning two games in March of dat year, de Stars shocked everyone by winning de first two games of de series in Anaheim, and den wouwd go on to finish off de Ducks in six games, deir first pwayoff series win since 2003. In de second round, de Stars matched up wif de Pacific Division champion San Jose Sharks. Once again, de Stars surprised everyone by winning de first two games of de series on de road. In Game 2, Brad Richards tied an NHL record by recording four points in de dird period.[20] The Stars wouwd den take a 3–0 wead after a Mattias Norstome overtime goaw in Game 3. Captain Brenden Morrow finished de Sharks off in Game 6 wif a powerpway goaw nearwy hawfway into de fourf overtime.[21] The win sent de Stars to deir first Conference Finaws since 2000, where dey met de powerhouse Detroit Red Wings. After fawwing behind 3–0, de Stars made a series of it, however, winning two games before uwtimatewy finawwy being ousted by de Red Wings in six games.[22]

Brad Richards shoots de puck in pregame warm up during de 2008–09 season, uh-hah-hah-hah. Injuries to Richards, and oder teammates during de course of de season wed de Stars to miss deir first pwayoffs since 2002.

The 2008–09 season saw de earwy woss for de season of captain Brenden Morrow to an ACL tear. Off-season free agent acqwisition Sean Avery caused a media uproar over comments he made to a Canadian reporter about ex-girwfriend Ewisha Cudbert and her rewationship wif Cawgary Fwames' defenseman Dion Phaneuf before a game in Cawgary. The incident forced de team to suspend Avery for de season; he was water waived by de Stars. That incident, pwus injuries to key pwayers Brad Richards and Sergei Zubov, caused de Stars to taiwspin to a 12f-pwace finish and de first missed pwayoffs for Dawwas since 2002.

In de wake of de season, de Stars hired a new generaw manager, former pwayer and awternate captain Joe Nieuwendyk. Huww and Jackson remained wif de Stars, but were reassigned to new rowes widin de organization, uh-hah-hah-hah. Less dan a week after he was hired, Nieuwendyk fired six-season head coach Dave Tippett on June 10, 2009, and hired Marc Crawford de next day as his repwacement. Oder off-season moves incwuded de addition of Charwie Huddy as assistant coach in charge of defense and de promotions of Stu Barnes and Andy Moog to assistant coaches.

The Stars' 2009–10 season was simiwar to de previous one. Inconsistent pway and defensive struggwes pwagued de team droughout de season, as dey faiwed to adjust to Marc Crawford's new offensivewy-minded system, and owner Tom Hicks' financiaw troubwes prevented de team from spending more dan $45 miwwion on payroww, over $11 miwwion beneaf de weague sawary cap.[23] The Stars faiwed to win more dan dree games in a row aww season, finished in wast in de Pacific Division and repeated deir 12f pwace conference finish from de year before wif a record of 37–31–14 for 88 points.[24] This was de first time dat dey wouwd miss de pwayoffs two seasons in a row since de Stars moved to Texas. In de off-season, wongtime goawtender Marty Turco was wet go in favor of Kari Lehtonen to become de team's number one goawtender for de future.[25] In de wast game of de season at de Minnesota Wiwd, Mike Modano was named de game's first star and skated around de rink after de game wearing his Norf Stars uniform, receiving a rousing ovation, uh-hah-hah-hah.[26]

Kari Lehtonen during de 2010–11 season, uh-hah-hah-hah. He was named de team's number one goawtender after dey wet go of wongtime goawtender Marty Turco.

In de 2010 off-season, de Stars reweased Marty Turco and Mike Modano, de face of de franchise for de past two decades. Modano subseqwentwy signed wif de Detroit Red Wings whiwe Turco joined de Chicago Bwackhawks. Winger Jere Lehtinen, who pwayed his entire career wif de Stars, announced his retirement in December 2010. The team awso made key acqwisitions, such as winger Adam Burish (who was on de 2010 Stanwey Cup champion Chicago Bwackhawks) and goawtender Andrew Raycroft. They awso gave Jonadan Cheechoo a try-out, but he was cut and water signed wif division rivaws San Jose Sharks.

To begin de 2010 season, de Stars won deir first dree games, going on a dree-game win streak for de first time since de 2007–08 season by beating de New Jersey Deviws in overtime, New York Iswanders in a shootout and against Mike Modano and de Red Wings. During de dird game against de Red Wings, de Stars crowd gave Modano a standing ovation as he was shown on de Jumbotron.

After a hot start to de season, de Stars dominated de first hawf of de season, staying on de Pacific Division wead and staying in de top dree spots of de conference. It seemed wike de owd Stars were back, as drough de first hawf of de season, dey went 30–15–6. But after de Aww-Star Game, de Stars went into a swump, going on numerous wosing streaks and bwowing games. Through dis dough, de Stars stiww remained in de pwayoff picture. On de day of de trade deadwine, de Stars traded James Neaw and Matt Niskanen to de Pittsburgh Penguins for defenseman Awex Gowigoski. After an awfuw second hawf, de Stars stiww had a chance to make de pwayoffs by winning aww deir games in Apriw. They won aww of dem except for wast, as dey wost to de Minnesota Wiwd 5–3, costing dem a pwayoff spot.

After missing de pwayoffs for de dird consecutive season, Dawwas fired coach Marc Crawford on Apriw 12, 2011.[27] In de spring of 2011, according to Darren Dreger of TSN, de team has been "financiawwy managed" by de NHL for over a year. On June 16, 2011, Dawwas hired Gwen Guwutzan to be head coach, making him de sixf coach since de franchise's move from Minnesota.[28] On September 13, 2011, wenders voted to agree to have de Stars fiwe for bankruptcy and sowd at auction, uh-hah-hah-hah.[29] On September 21, 2011, Mike Modano announced his retirement from de NHL. By October 22, 2011, competing bids to buy de cwub were due. Vancouver businessman and Kamwoops Bwazers owner Tom Gagwardi's bid was de onwy one submitted, cwearing de way for him to enter de finaw stages of taking over ownership of de team. Gagwardi's purchase was approved by de NHL Board of Governors on November 18, 2011.[29]

A bankruptcy court judge approved de bid for an enterprise vawue of $240 miwwion, uh-hah-hah-hah. First wien creditors got about 75 cents on de dowwar. The Stars wost $38 miwwion during deir wast fiscaw year and $92 miwwion over de wast dree seasons.[30]

As de new owner, Gagwardi's first move was bringing back former Stars President Jim Lites to once again take de reins as team president and CEO. To begin de 2011–12 season, de Stars once again jumped out to a fast start, going 22–15–1 drough de first 38 games of de season, uh-hah-hah-hah. When de second hawf of de season began, however, de Stars swumped drough de monds of January and February, before getting hot again in wate February. Throughout March, de Stars regained de wead of de Pacific Division, uh-hah-hah-hah. Beginning on March 26, 2012, de Stars embarked on a western road trip dat saw dem visit de Cawgary Fwames, Edmonton Oiwers, Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks. Going into de road trip, de Stars were in controw of deir own destiny, having to gain four points on de road trip to win deir first Pacific Division titwe since de 2005–06 season, uh-hah-hah-hah. After de Stars wost 5–4 in Cawgary to de Fwames, de Stars beat de Oiwers two nights water, 3–1. This wouwd be deir wast win of de season, as de Stars were rowwed over by de Canucks and Sharks. Even dough dey had wost de division crown, de Stars stiww had a chance to cwinch a pwayoff spot. The Stars, however, were ewiminated from pwayoff contention on Apriw 5 in a 2–0 woss to de pwayoff-bound Nashviwwe Predators. The team faiwed to qwawify for de post-season for de fourf consecutive year, setting a franchise record for futiwity.[31][32]

Tywer Seguin wif de Stars in de 2013–14 season, uh-hah-hah-hah. The Stars acqwired Seguin as a part of a seven-pwayer trade wif de Boston Bruins during de 2013 off-season, uh-hah-hah-hah.

On Juwy 1, 2012, de team signed free agent veterans Ray Whitney, Aaron Rome and future Hockey Haww of FamerJaromir Jagr. The next day, de Stars traded fan-favorite Steve Ott and Adam Pardy to de Buffawo Sabres for center Derek Roy. When 2012–13 NHL wockout ended, de Stars began an up-and-down season, awdough staying in de race for one of de eight pwayoff spots in de shortened season, which had onwy 48 games. In mid-season, forward Michaew Ryder was traded to his former team, de Montreaw Canadiens, for Erik Cowe. This shocked many Stars fans, as Ryder was a fan-favorite to Stars fans and had been producing good stats for de Stars droughout de shortened season, uh-hah-hah-hah. Before de trade deadwine in earwy Apriw, de Stars began to fawter, and de team's captain, Brenden Morrow, was traded to de Pittsburgh Penguins; Roy was traded to de Vancouver Canucks; Jagr to de Boston Bruins; and Tomas Vincour to de Coworado Avawanche to cwose out de trade deadwine, aww in exchange for draft picks and prospects.[33] After aww of de trades at de NHL trade deadwine, many counted de Stars out, as it seemed dey were beginning to rebuiwd and drow in de towew during de season, uh-hah-hah-hah. However, de Stars' remaining young pwayers puwwed togeder to win six of deir next eight games, dus propewwing de Stars back into de 2013 pwayoff race. The Stars soon became de new Cinderewwa team and were getting better as deir new-found success went on, uh-hah-hah-hah. However, de Stars dropped deir finaw five games, wosing aww of dem and gaining onwy one point in deir finaw five games, which ewiminated dem from pwayoff contention, uh-hah-hah-hah. The Stars had now missed de pwayoffs for five-straight seasons, continuing to set de aww-time record in de franchise (dating back to de Minnesota days) for most consecutive seasons widout a pwayoff appearance.

Niww made anoder big trade as generaw manager when he acqwired Jason Spezza and Ludwig Karwsson from de Ottawa Senators in exchange for Awex Chiasson, Nick Pauw, Awex Guptiww and a second-round pick in 2015. He awso signed Senators pwayer Awes Hemsky as a free agent on a dree-year, $12 miwwion contract on Juwy 1, 2014. Despite dese moves, de Stars finished wif de second-wowest goawtender save percentage in de NHL during de 2014–15 season, which resuwted in dem faiwing to qwawify for de 2015 pwayoffs due to deir sixf-pwace finish in de Centraw Division, uh-hah-hah-hah. The wone bright spot of de 2014–15 season was Jamie Benn winning de Art Ross Trophy. On Apriw 11, 2015, Benn scored 4 points in de Stars' wast reguwar season game to finish wif 87 points on de season and win de Art Ross Trophy. His finaw point, a secondary assist wif 8.5 seconds weft in de game, awwowed him to overtake John Tavares for de award.[36]

In de 2015–16 season, de Stars won deir first Centraw Division titwe since 1998 and posted de best reguwar season record in de Western Conference. In de first round of de pwayoffs, dey defeated de Minnesota Wiwd in six games. In de second round, dey faced de St. Louis Bwues, for de first time since 2001, and wost de series in seven games. The Stars finished wif a 34–37–11 record in de 2016–17 season, missing de pwayoffs for de sevenf time in de past nine seasons. As a resuwt, de team announced dat head coach Lindy Ruff's contract wouwd not be renewed. Hitchcock returned as de coach for de fowwowing season, and once again, de Stars missed de pwayoffs. Hitchcock retired after de season and was succeeded at de head coaching spot by Jim Montgomery.

When de Stars first moved from Minnesota, de Stars moved into Reunion Arena, which was being shared wif de NBA's Dawwas Mavericks. For hockey, Reunion Arena hewd 17,001 for NHL games. Throughout de hockey history of Reunion Arena, de arena was known for having one of de worst ice surfaces in de NHL, especiawwy in its finaw days hosting de Stars. The Stars pwayed at Reunion for eight years, from 1993–2001. Before de 2001–02 NHL season, Bof de Stars and de Mavericks moved into de new American Airwines Center, which is in de Victory Park neighborhood of Dawwas, just norf of Reunion Arena. The American Airwines Center howds 18,584 for Stars and NHL games. On January 24, 2007, de AAC hosted de 55f Nationaw Hockey League Aww-Star Game. The AAC and de Dawwas Stars have won severaw wocaw and NHL awards for "Best Fan Experience".[37]

Aww Dawwas Stars games are broadcast on radio on KTCK under a five-year deaw announced in January 2009.[38] KTCK repwaced WBAP, which had broadcast games since de beginning of de 1994 season after KLIF has broadcast de first season in Dawwas in 1993. Tewevision coverage occurs primariwy on Fox Sports Soudwest (FSN), wif KTXA (Channew 21) or FSSW+ broadcasting games when FSSW has a confwict.

The Stars, awong wif de Buffawo Sabres and Carowina Hurricanes are one of onwy dree NHL teams to simuwcast de entirety of deir games on TV and radio, which de team has done since deir 1993 arrivaw in Dawwas. The originaw broadcast team from 1993 to 1996 was Mike Fornes (pway-by-pway) and Rawph Strangis (cowor). Fornes weft de broadcast team after de 1995–96 season; Strangis moved to de pway-by-pway rowe and cowor commentator Daryw "Razor" Reaugh was added. Awdough bof de DFW-area's warge media market and de team's fan base couwd deoreticawwy support separate tewevision and radio broadcast teams, de Stars have continued simuwcasting due to de popuwarity of "Rawph and Razor" (as dey are known) among wocaw wisteners and viewers. Like oder NHL teams, de Stars now have a wive radio broadcast transmitted inside American Airwines Center on 97.5 FM. This is done because AM radio signaws often cannot penetrate concrete and steew buiwding exteriors.

Strangis retired from de boof after de 2014–15 season and was repwaced by Dave Strader. In June 2016, Strader was diagnosed wif chowangiocarcinoma, a fairwy rare and aggressive form of cancer of de biwe duct. To begin de 2016–17 season, Reaugh assumed pway-by-pway duties whiwe Strader underwent treatment. Studio anawyst and former Stars defenseman, Craig Ludwig, took over as cowor commentator. During a break in Strader's treatment, he returned to de broadcast boof on February 18, 2017, a 4-3 overtime home win against de Tampa Bay Lightning. After de game, de Stars sawuted Strader at center ice. On October 1, 2017, Strader died of cancer at de age of 62, weaving Reaugh and Ludwig to caww de 2017-18 season, uh-hah-hah-hah. In Juwy 2018, de Stars announced dat Reaugh wouwd return to cowor commentary for 2018-19, wif former studio host Josh Bogorad taking over de pway-by-pway.[39]

Former wogo used from 1993 to 2013. The wogo was weft wargewy unchanged from de franchise's rewocation to Dawwas.

When dey debuted in Dawwas for de 1993–94 season, dey kept de same uniform design from deir water Minnesota days, except for de addition of de Texas wogo patch on de shouwders. Away uniforms were bwack and home uniforms were white. Wif minor trim changes, a darker shade of green, and de word 'Dawwas' added in de 1994–95 season, dey kept dis design untiw deir 1999 Stanwey Cup-winning campaign, uh-hah-hah-hah. The bwack pants have de word 'Dawwas' in gowd run drough de sides wif green stripes.

In de 1997–98 season, de Stars introduced an awternate uniform dat partwy resembwed dose worn during de Aww-Star Game at de time. The uniform was mostwy green on top and bwack at de bottom, in a star-shaped design, uh-hah-hah-hah. For de 1999–2000 season, it became de primary away uniform, and was paired wif a new home uniform featuring de same basic design, wif white on top and green at de bottom. They kept dis design untiw de 2006–07 season, during which de NHL switched cowor designations on home and away jerseys in de 2003–04 season, uh-hah-hah-hah. The striping was awso ewiminated on de bwack pants.

Shouwder patch and awternate wogo used by de Stars from 1999 to 2013.

The Stars introduced an awternate jersey for de 2003–04 season dat proved bof embarrassing and unpopuwar to critics and fans. The uniform, which was bwack wif a green bottom and red trim, featured a modern representation of de constewwationTaurus topped by a traiwing green star wif red traiw marks. However, fans and critics derided de uniform crest for its resembwance to a uterus, nicknaming it de "Mooterus". The uniform was used untiw de 2005–06 season, uh-hah-hah-hah.

Wif de switch to de Reebok Edge uniform system, de jerseys underwent a compwete redesign, uh-hah-hah-hah. The home bwack jersey, introduced for de 2007–08 season, features de pwayer's number on de chest and an arched 'Dawwas' in white wif gowd trim, wif de primary wogo on de shouwders. The primary away jerseys, which were used from 2007–10 and was used as an awternate for its finaw season, had de Stars wogo crest in front and de uniform number on de top right, wif de Texas awternate wogo on de shouwders. An awternate white jersey based on de home bwack jersey was introduced for de 2008–09 season; dey became de reguwar away uniforms for de 2010–11 season, uh-hah-hah-hah. The wettering is in green wif gowd and bwack trim. Bof uniforms were used untiw de 2012–13 season, uh-hah-hah-hah.

A new wogo and uniforms were introduced for de 2013–14 season, uh-hah-hah-hah. Siwver repwaced gowd as de tertiary cowor, whiwe green (in a bright new shade cawwed "Victory Green", simiwar to de owd Norf Stars' shade of green) was reintroduced as a primary uniform cowor. The new wogo features de wetter D centering a star, symbowizing Dawwas' nickname as "The Big D". The home uniforms are in green wif bwack and white striping, whiwe de away uniforms are in white wif a green shouwder yoke, and bwack and green striping. The inner cowwar features de team name on de home uniforms, and de city name on de away uniforms. The secondary wogo, wif de primary inside a roundew wif de team name, is featured in de shouwders.

Since de 2005–06 season, de nationaw andems are performed by Cewena Rae, a Fort Worf native and former semi-finawist on American Idow. During The Star-Spangwed Banner, de fans yeww de word "stars" in de wines "whose broad stripes and bright stars" and "O say does dat star spangwed banner yet wave."[40] At games, as part of de entertainment, a Kahwenberg KDT-123 fog horn sounds after every Stars goaw.[41]

When de Stars take de ice at de beginning of each game, de song "Puck Off" (awso referred to as de "Dawwas Stars Fight Song") by Pantera, is pwayed in de arena. Members of de Dawwas–Fort Worf–Arwington metropowitan area band had become friends wif members of de Stars in de 1990s, especiawwy fowwowing de team's Stanwey Cup win in 1999.[42] "Puck Off" water awso became de team's goaw cewebration song. During de song, fans chant de onwy wyrics in de song, "Dawwas! Stars! Dawwas! Stars!" whiwe pumping deir fists in de air. After each Stars win, de Stevie Ray Vaughan (a Dawwas native) and Doubwe Troubwe song "The House is Rockin'" is pwayed. A song of unknown origin cawwed "The Darkness Music" is pwayed after nearwy every away goaw.[43] In recent years, fans have usuawwy yewwed, "Who cares!?" after away team goaws are announced by de pubwic address announcer.[44]

The Stars have hosted a home game on New Year's Eve every year since 1997. For a period of time, de game coincided wif de Big D NYE cewebration (now on hiatus) on de souf side of de arena in AT&T Pwaza.[45]

The Dawwas Stars presentwy acknowwedge an affiwiation wif a number of inductees to de Hockey Haww of Fame. Haww of Fame inductees acknowwedged by de Stars incwude 12 former pwayers and dree buiwders of de sport.[48] The dree individuaws recognized as buiwders by de Haww of Fame incwudes former Stars executives, and head coaches. The tenure of five pwayer inductees, and de dree buiwders acknowwedged by de Stars occurred when de franchise was based in Minnesota (1967 to 1993). Mike Modano is de onwy Haww of Fame inductee dat pwayed wif de franchise before and after its rewocation to Dawwas.